Criminology

Victim precipitation- suggests victims initiated social interaction that led to homicidal response. 20-50% of all homicides

-A significant amount of homicides occur among relatives and acquaintances

-44% of victims are involved in intimate relationships

-The very young and elderly have low homicidal rates

Why gang homicides differ from nongang homicides?

-more participants

-intra-ethnic

-younger

-not likely to know their victims

-more deaths

Note: In the US, homicide rates tend to be higher in the South than in the West

Assault is the most common of violent crimes reported

Rape and Sexual Assault

-severely unreported, only 1/10th of crimes are reported

Different types of rape:

-stranger- little or no prior contact

-predatory- planned by legitimate dating behavior

-date rape- force is used to gain sex from an unwilling participant

Note: Robbery is a property crime as well as a violent crime against a person. A combination of the motive for economic gain

Chapter 11

Larceny:

-Known as theft or stealing, the prototype of all property offenses 

-Most prevalent crime in our society

-Such as: purse-snatching, pickpocketing, shoplifting, and art theft

Requirements for theft:

-Without permission

-Taking and carrying it away

-Personal Property 

-Intend to deprive the owner of their property permanently

2 types of thieves:

-Amateur- opportunists, resolve immediate crisis by stealing

-Professional- creative and accepts risks

Note: shoplifting from retail is a very common, low-risk crime. This costs companies $47 billion each year, which pushes the prices up

Health insurance claims:

-ping ponging- physicians referring patients to several practitioners when symptoms do not warrant such referrals

-steering- doctors direct patients to the pharmacy to fill unnecessary prescriptions

High-tech crimes- attempts to pursue illegal activities through the use of advanced electronic media, which are difficult for law enforcement

Burglary- different from robbery, UCR defines it as the unlawful entry into a structure to commit a felony or theft

Arson:

-Common law defined arson as the malicious burning of or setting fire to the dwelling of another person

-Juveniles account for the most significant share of arsons

Chapter 13

History of drug abuse:

-Morphine- 1861 Civil War

-Opium and cocaine- 1914 The Harrison Act

-Marijuana- 1937 Tax Act 60.2% drug abuse in the USA

-Cocaine- 1980s Associated with only deviants, major drug problem

Note: In the 1960s, marijuana emerged as a major drug, popular with whites, the middle class, and young people who identified themselves as anti-establishment

Fentanyl:

-50x stronger than heroin

-100x stronger than morphine

-Synthetic Opioid

-Mixed with drugs like heroin and cocaine, made into pills

-Even in small doses, it can be deadly

Drug control

-Rigorous enforcement of forfeiture laws, money, and property is confiscated from offenders if it can be established that they came from the drug trade

Drug courts have seen success, saving state tax dollars

-Subject substances categorized as illicit to the same government controls as alcohol and tobacco

-Legalization is a debated issue and has garnered public support

George Bush

-In 1989, he unveiled his anti-drug strategy

-Focuses on the role of law enforcement in drug control, the war on drugs

Bill Clinton

In 1994, had a control strategy, anti-drug education, and treatment programs

Alcohol legalization

-In 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the sale of alcohol

-Prohibition led to bootlegging and the unlawful sale

Violence related to alcohol:

Alcohol escalates aggression by reducing awareness of consequences